Partnership Principal
John Brumley

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   In the 13 years of its existence—all under the leadership of Principal John Brumley—Idaho’s Lake City High School has placed a focus on rigorous academics plus a comprehensive elective program. The result has been a rich learning experience for its 1,540 students, success on mandated tests, and numerous awards.

    “The reputation of our school is built first and foremost on a very rigorous academic program,” Brumley explains of the four-year comprehensive high school. “This past year Lake City along with the other high school in our district, Coeur d’Alene High, was recognized as IB schools—the first schools in Idaho to earn this honor.”

   But a challenging academic curriculum is just part of the story at Lake City High.

   “We have strived to weave the other half of learning into our school—a very rich elective, humanities program,” Brumley says. “I believe the humanities are at risk across the country with changing expectations. To me, drama, art, music, debate, and other such programs are the glue of the curriculum. They add richness and diversity to learning and connect students.”

   The Lake City staff has been able to offer a full elective program while still maintaining attention on its academic courses by initiating an eight-period rollover block schedule eight years ago, allowing an expanded curriculum.

    “The block schedule gives us tremendous flexibility, and we were able to add the equivalent of 14 staff members with its creation,” Brumley reports.

   The Lake City activities program—both in fine arts and athletics—has experienced a record of success, including several state, national and international honors. The Student Council was named a National Gold Council of Excellence in 2007, the theater program has been invited to participate in the 2008 International Theater Festival in Scotland, the music program was selected as the Heritage Music Festival Outstanding Music Program in 2006, and the football, girls’ basketball and baseball teams have all won recent state championships.

   The academic program also has compiled its share of honors. In addition to the IB recognition, Lake City High has been named an Idaho Merit School and Northwest Exemplary School. Teachers have been honored as state teachers of the year in their subject areas, administrators have received state recognition and, Mike Clabby, a technology teacher, is the 2006-07 Idaho Teacher of the Year.

  Another aspect of the Lake City success is its highly positive climate.

  
   “We have a top notch staff and a climate where people feel good about working here,” Brumley believes. “We like each other!”

  Two important keys to that climate are the experience of the staff across the board and the fact that the administration encourages people to share their opinions. In the 13 years since the school opened there have been only two changes in the administrative team, and Brumley has been principal since day one. Seventy percent of the faculty has also been at Lake City since its inception.

  “People make this place, and we have unique people who are talented and want to stay here,” Brumley says. “While we have evolved, the people have remained the same.”

  With a site-based decision making philosophy, those individuals have also been able to shape the school and its programs. Brumley uses a number of approaches to gathering input—

• An administrative team that meets every Monday morning to discuss what is ahead for the week. That team consists of Brumley, three assistant principals, four counselors, the head custodian, the head of food service, and the office manager.
• A six-person steering committee of staff members elected by the staff. That group serves as policy makers for the school, doing the budgeting among other decisions.
• The student council, which Brumley consults on a consistent basis. “We trust our kids and want their ideas,” he says.

   All this makes for an exciting career for Brumley, who also stays actively involved in the leadership of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

    “There’s certainly no boredom with this job,” he contends. “There are many days when I pour myself a cup of coffee when I first come to work, and find that by 10:30 it’s still half full.”

    He also has seen that the Principals’ Partnership is a powerful program that is assisting school leaders.    

    “Union Pacific is a corporation that gets it,” he says. “UP understands that good principals make good schools, and it is helping high school principals across the country help thousands and thousands of students. This is going to be especially important in the future as so many principals will be leaving the profession in the next five years. UP’s efforts are crucial to the success of this country, and I simply don’t know how to say ‘thanks’.”

Brumley can be contacted at jbrumley@cdaschools.org, and more information on Lake City High School is available at www.cdaschools.org/lchs.

Past Focus Principals:

Focus- Nancy York
Focus- Jerrylyn Jones
Focus- Gloria Erkins
Focus- Ron Sing
Focus- Bill Hittman
Focus- Jeanene Sampson
Focus- David Gilligan
Focus - Joy Walton
Focus- William Roberts
Focus- Franklyn Wesley
Focus- Magdalena Gutierrez
Focus- Kent Bergum
Focus- William "Rick" Johnson
Focus- Ken Ball
Focus- Dan Tenuta
Focus- Charlesetta Deason
Focus- Rene Posey
Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus- Glen Clark
Focus- Kittie D. Weston-Knauer
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus- Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel